Clarification on Andrew Luck’s Shoulder ‘Concerns’; Working on Quickening Release
According to the “injury expert” Will Carroll, the Indianapolis Colts have no major concerns with starting quarterback Andrew Luck‘s throwing shoulder:
"“I spoke with multiple team sources with the Colts and all said that while technically correct, the Colts have no major concerns with Luck’s shoulder, though it was likely noted on his exit physical,” writes Carroll. “Where there is a concern is whether or not his shoulder would be excluded from an insurance policy on his impending deal. That would add some risk for the Colts, but not enough to scuttle it.”"
As such, it appears as though while correct in some regards, Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole may have embellished the Colts concerns over Luck’s shoulder. At the very least, Carroll’s report seems to conflict with the degree of Cole’s reported concerns.
If the Colts are concerned about insurance covering Luck’s golden shoulder, the team is likely at a loss of leverage on the negotiation table, when push comes to shove.
The Colts simply cannot afford to let their 26 year old franchise player get away, and Luck is at a position where he can pretty much name his price and conditions on his next contract.
If Luck ever got to the open market, he’d be incredibly highly coveted by a number of quarterback desperate teams–and even teams that would dump their current quarterback for him.
However, the Colts have no intentions of ever letting it get to that point, and a deal will likely be worked out this offseason with both sides clearly wanting to get a deal done.
One interesting item of note from Carroll is that Luck is currently working on both quickening his release and getting rid of the football faster in the pocket:
"“Luck is not only working on making throws, but according to sources, Luck is working on a quicker release and making use of STRIVR to help him make quicker decisions,” writes Carroll. “All of this is intended to keep him upright more often, which will be good for Luck and the Colts.”"
Of course, Luck is no stranger to STRIVR, which is a virtual reality technology that Luck has used in the past to hone his decision-making.
However, the young quarterback does need to do a better job of getting rid of the football sooner going forward.
While the offensive line’s pass protection is also to blame this past season, many of Luck’s hits and punishment in the pocket were self-inflicted, as he simply held onto the football for far too long–trying to make a play.
It’s good to see that Luck is working hard in trying to improve his decision-making this offseason because it could very well prevent future injuries going forward and alleviate any long-term concerns over the condition of his throwing shoulder.